Soft polenta with sclopit
Antonia Klugmann's soft polenta recipe is flavoured – and coloured – with sclopit, an aromatic herb of the silene family. The herb is easily found in Italy and used in cooking for its fragrant, slightly peppery taste. Sometimes known as silene inflata, sclupit or even sculpit, it can be substituted for another green herb (such as tarragon or basil) if unavailable. Decorated with a swirl of cream, this makes an indulgent, rich starter with very little hands-on preparation time.
Ingredients
Soft polenta
- 100g of white polenta
- 1l water
- 7g of salt
Sclopit herb butter
- 200g of sclopit
- 300g of butter
To serve
- 100ml of sour cream
- 2 tbsp of double cream
- 12 violet flowers
- poppy seeds
Equipment
- Food processor
- Piping bag and nozzle
Method
1
To cook the polenta, place the water and salt in a large pan and bring to the boil over a medium heat. Pour in the polenta in a steady stream, whisking continuously
- 1l water
- 7g of salt
- 100g of white polenta
2
Turn the heat down very low and cover the pan with a lid. Allow to cook gently for 40 minutes , stirring occasionally
3
Meanwhile, place the sclopit and butter in a food processor and blitz until fully combined – the result should be a smooth, vibrant green butter. Set aside until the polenta is cooked through
- 200g of sclopit
- 300g of butter
4
In a small bowl, whisk a spoonful of the double cream into the sour cream to create a slightly looser texture – if still too thick, mix in the second spoonful. Transfer to a piping bag and reserve in the fridge until ready to serve
- 100ml of sour cream
- 2 tbsp of double cream
5
Once the polenta has thickened and is cooked through and soft, remove the pan from the heat and mix in the sclopit butter until the polenta is creamy and an even green colour
6
Divide the soft green polenta between serving bowls. Remove the cream from the fridge and pipe swirls over each before garnishing with a sprinkling of poppy seeds and a few edible violet flowers
- poppy seeds
- 12 violet flowers
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Soft polenta with sclopit
